Four players are vying for significant playing time at guard. “I think we’re just rotating those guys in,” Green Wave coach Curtis Johnson said. “It’s Skidmore, it’s Taylor, Rio and Shienle and those are the guys that look like they are all in the mix. We just have to get the right two for those positions. One time, one looks good on one thing. There is no consistency over there on any of those four. That’s why we’re rolling them in everyday to see who is good just like we are doing with the quarterbacks.”

Taylor – a rookie out of Zachary High – is making a case to start. And unlike last year, offensive line coach John McDonell won’t HAVE to start him. If Taylor gets the nod, it will be because he earned the spot on performance ahead of upperclassmen with greater experience.

“He’s a very, very talented young man,” McDonell said. “He has nice feet. He’s got great quickness and explosion.”

McDonell said the battle at guard is fierce.

“It’s been great,” he said. “It’s the whole competition thing. What I want is, I want that competition and see who wants to play who is performing the best. I say to them all the time, you got to perform, you’ve got to perform, you’ve got to perform. You’ve got to show me. So the competition is very keen and through camp it’s been really, really good. Guys are fighting and competing so we definitely have all their attention.”

Outlook

This unit as a whole is better than last season’s crew that blocked for only 475 yards in 12 games – an average of just 39.6 yards a game. That was 119th in the nation. Tulane’s most veteran guard, Rio Mares, said those numbers upset him and there has to be change.

“It has to be a complete 180,” he said. “It is definitely an embarrassment. I love rushing the football and to see numbers like that—it is embarrassing. … It gives you a little burn inside and that’s been our emphasis in the offseason definitely – trying to get better and trying to work on our run game. I definitely think that is improved for the season.”

One way the entire group has improved is by getting stronger.

“Last season I wasn’t very strong in the legs or upper body so the strength staff did a great job with us getting stronger. And I also think I’ve gotten faster and more agile as well—just my overall athleticism and strength has definitely improved,” Mares said.

But until two guys produce consistently high performances, the battle will rage on.

“As a group they are all better and (the battle for depth chart positions) has been very, very close,” McDonell said.